Wednesday 26 October 2016

John Green: Will the U.S. Presidential Election Be Rigged?

Donald Trump keeps saying it. Does repeating make it true?



Published on Oct 11, 2016 by vlogbrothers
YouTube: Will the U.S. Presidential Election Be Rigged?
In which John discusses the rigging of U.S. Presidential elections, a bit of recent electoral history, the electoral college, and considers the fundamental soundness of the political institutions of the United States.

Still don't believe it? Well, how about reading all of John Green's sources? Don't blindly repeat what Donald says. Find out for yourself.

CGP Grey's video on the electoral college:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUS9mM8Xbbw

The 2004 U.S. Presidential election between George W. Bush and John Kerry was not stolen by Bush in Ohio. Here is Farhad Manjoo's complete analysis of the vote rigging claims:
http://www.salon.com/2006/06/03/kennedy_39/

More about how the U.S. House of Representatives has occasionally selected the President:
http://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Electoral-College/

George Soros does not have (and has never had) any investment in the voting machine company Smartmatic, and also Smartmatic machines will not be used in the 2016 election:
http://www.smartmatic.com/case-studies/article/facts-about-smartmatic/

The study purporting to show that a high percentage of non-citizen U.S. residents vote has been thoroughly debunked by peer-reviewed research:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/10/19/trump-thinks-non-citizens-are-deciding-elections-we-debunked-the-research-hes-citing/

Election law expert Chris Ashby explains the many reasons why the U.S. Presidential vote will not be rigged, why voting machines cannot be secretly adjusted, and why the highly decentralized U.S. election system makes widespread fraud extremely unlikely:
https://extranewsfeed.com/the-election-is-not-rigged-23917d9b0534#.e08aw2hr2

Five Reasons Not to Worry about a Rigged Election:
http://www.npr.org/2016/10/18/498297287/5-reasons-and-then-some-not-to-worry-about-a-rigged-election

Republican and Democrat elected officials agree that our system of elections is "more secure than it’s ever been in our nation’s history."
http://time.com/4535364/donald-trump-rigged-election-fact-check/

A comprehensive investigation of voter impersonation in American elections found 31 incidents out of a billion votes cast:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/08/06/a-comprehensive-investigation-of-voter-impersonation-finds-31-credible-incidents-out-of-one-billion-ballots-cast/

Absentee voter fraud is somewhat more common than in-person voter fraud, but still very rare:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/10/13/the-disconnect-between-voter-id-laws-and-voter-fraud/

Voting law experts agree that official election fraud is becoming " increasingly rare" in the United States, NOT more common.
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37682947

Factcheck.org heroically tackles each of Donald Trump's assertions about voter fraud in turn:
http://www.factcheck.org/2016/10/trumps-bogus-voter-fraud-claims/


Final Word
Sorry, Donald. Alex Jones may believe you, I don't. You're making this up. But more importantly, as Green says, you're undermining the trust in the democratic system. And you look like a sore loser.


References

Wikipedia: John Green (author)
John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American writer of young adult fiction and a YouTube vlogger and educator. He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking for Alaska, and reached number one on a New York Times Best Seller list with The Fault in Our Stars in January 2012.

Wikipedia: VlogBrothers
VlogBrothers is a video blog style channel on YouTube. The Internet-based show is created and hosted by brothers, John Green and Hank Green. The first incarnation of the brothers' online broadcasting was the "Brotherhood 2.0" project, preceding the establishment of the pair's regular vlogging activity through the VlogBrothers channel.

Wikipedia: Hank Green
William Henry "Hank" Green ll (born 5 May 1980) is an American entrepreneur, musician, and vlogger. He is best known for his YouTube channel Vlogbrothers where he regularly uploads videos along with his brother, John Green. He is also the creator of the online environmental technology blog EcoGeek, and the developer of Subbable. He is involved with several other channels on YouTube, including Crash Course, SciShow, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,The Brain Scoop, and Sexplanations.

YouTube channel: vlogbrothers

Twitter: John Green @johngreen
I write books, including Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars. (Books are like tweets, except longer.) I also make videos with my brother.

web site: John Green Books

web site: Hank Green Internet Guy

2016-10-26

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Sunday 23 October 2016

Pew Research Center: How Republican and Democratic voters have changed since 1992


Published on Oct 19, 2016 by Pew Research Center
YouTube: How Republican and Democratic voters have changed since 1992
The two parties look less alike today than at any point over the last quarter-century.



Pew Research Center - Sep 13/2016
The Parties on the Eve of the 2016 Election: Two Coalitions, Moving Further Apart
Ahead of the presidential election, the demographic profiles of the Republican and Democratic parties are strikingly different. On key characteristics – especially race and ethnicity and religious affiliation – the two parties look less alike today than at any point over the last quarter-century.

The fundamental demographic changes taking place in the country – an aging population, growing racial and ethnic diversity and rising levels of education – have reshaped both party coalitions. But these changes, coupled with patterns of partisan affiliation among demographic groups, have influenced the composition of the two parties in different ways. The Democratic Party is becoming less white, less religious and better-educated at a faster rate than the country as a whole, while aging at a slower rate. Within the GOP the pattern is the reverse: Republican voters are becoming more diverse, better-educated and less religious at a slower rate than the country generally, while the age profile of the GOP is growing older more quickly than that of the country.






Final Word
Republicans are older, less educated, and more religious than Democrats. Who's the main driving force behind Donald Trump? White males.

In a recent editorial "Clinton for president: Why we need a landslide", The New Jersey Star Ledger quoted polling information from the New York Times stating that roughly four in ten Americans will stand with Trump. Despite all the negativity surrounding the Republican candidate, there is a surprising number of people who believe in the good ol' days. Unfortunately, the good ol' days are over and the future is here. I could say "get used to it," but nostalgia is alluring: a filtered view of history, removing all the bad things and leaving sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Life was good. Now it sucks.

Racism. Sexism. Patriarchy. Xenophobia. Intolerance. Hatred. White supremacy. Double standard. Rape culture. White males have been the top dog holding a position of privilege. Will they learn to be an equal?

The Republican Party has lost its right to govern, because it is driven by white nationalism rather than a true commitment to equality for all Americans. -Vox: A Republican intellectual explains why the Republican Party is going to die

It is my fervent hope the Democrats crush the Republicans. (see why below) Trump is the result of a dramatic slide of the GOP over the past few years to the extreme right - and I mean extreme. The GOP and their policies and their ideology have contributed and continue to contribute to the growing economic inequality of the United States. They must be stopped.

Dear America: Make history. Elect a woman. But more importantly, elect the best "person" for the job.


References

Wikipedia: Pew Research Center
The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American "fact tank" which is based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world. It also conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis, and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take explicit policy positions, and is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The Guardian - Apr 26/2012
Democrats condemn GOP's plot to obstruct Obama as 'appalling and sad' by Ewen MacAskill
Democrats have rounded on revelations about a private dinner of House Republicans on inauguration day in 2009 in which they plotted a campaign of obstruction against newly installed president Barack Obama. During a lengthy discussion, the senior GOP members worked out a plan to repeatedly block Obama over the coming four years to try to ensure he would not be re-elected. The disclosures – described as "appalling and sad" by Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod – undermine Republican claims that the president alone is to blame for the partisan deadlock in Washington.

People criticize Obama for being ineffective? The GOP deliberately set out to make him look bad. They don't care about the people; they only care about power. They should be ashamed of themselves.

The New Jersey Star Ledger - Oct 23/2016
Clinton for president: Why we need a landslide by the Editorial Board
That brings us back to the need for a landslide win. Republicans will be split into factions after this election, and a decisive win for Clinton could prompt a needed soul-searching.

It is hard believe now, but in 2008 the Republican platform endorsed a cap-and-trade program to fight climate change, and immigration reform with a path to citizenship. After the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush made a point of defending Muslim Americans against precisely the sort of slander Trump peddles today.

The party veered seriously off course in 2010, with the ascent of the Tea Party faction. Compromise is now considered a sign of weakness. The rejection of science and expert opinion has become a reflex. The wink-and-nod bigotry that helped the party win the South is now explicit, and has expanded to include demonization of Latinos and Muslims.

If the nation is to make progress, the Republican Party needs to spend its 40 days in the desert. And that's more likely to happen if Clinton's victory is crushing.

Those who would cast their votes for third party candidates need to think again. If they want their votes to have political impact, they need to strengthen the prospects of a landslide by voting for Clinton. They need to vote strategically, given the enormous stakes.

So yes, this endorsement of Clinton is full-throated and without reservation. Trump's popularity has revealed a sickness in our body politic that is flat-out dangerous. A crushing win by Clinton offers the best hope for a cure.


Vox - Jul 25/2016
A Republican intellectual explains why the Republican Party is going to die by Zack Beauchamp
The Republican Party has lost its right to govern, because it is driven by white nationalism rather than a true commitment to equality for all Americans.

2016-10-23

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Saturday 22 October 2016

Pogo: Data & Picard

Pogo? Nick Bertke? Never heard of him. But oh my goodness, I now can't tear my eyes away. Good Lord, this stuff is mesmerizing, hypnotic.

According to Wikipedia: A remix is a piece of media which has been altered from its original state by adding, removing, and/or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, or photograph can all be remixes. The only characteristic of a remix is that it appropriates and changes other materials to create something new.

Nick Bertke or Pogo is a remix artist from Perth, Australia. Fascinating stuff.



Published on Oct 17, 2016 by Pogo
YouTube: Data & Picard
A remix of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Temba, his arms wide! In Tamarian this signifies the giving of a gift, first heard in the excellent episode Darmok. Data & Picard is my tribute to one of the greatest TV series of all time. It is an original track featuring the voices of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Commander Data (Brent Spiner), accompanied by a music video I shot entirely in my living room with a green screen and lights.

The track opens with the Klingon Victory Song, followed by a remix of Data singing Che Gelida Manina in the episode 'In Theory'. This episode was the first ever to be directed by Patrick Stewart and I didn't realize this until after the track was finished.


As I said, these videos are hypnotic. You must check out this gentleman's YouTube channel. I can't stop watching "Wizard Of Meh" based on the Wizard of Oz. Wow.



References

Wikipedia: Pogo (electronic musician)
Christopher Nicholas "Nick" Bertke (born 26 July 1988), better known by his stage name Pogo, is an Australian electronic music artist. His work consists of recording small sounds, quotes, and melodies from a film or TV programme, and sequencing the sounds together to form a new piece of music. In most of his works, the newly created piece of music consists solely of the sounds he samples from those films or scenes, without additional, 'external' music or sound effects.

official web site: PogoMix
Pogo (Nick Bertke) is a music producer and remix artist based in Perth, Western Australia. His music has garnered over 110 million plays on YouTube and integration with many major studios and agencies around the world. Pogo also takes his work on the road having performed at the Guggenheim Museum, The Highline Ballroom and in most major cities across North America.

YouTube channel: Pogo

Twitter: Pogo @NickBertke
Official Twitter of music producer and remix artist Pogo (Nick Bertke): Perth, Western Australia

Wikipedia: Remix
A remix is a piece of media which has been altered from its original state by adding, removing, and/or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, or photograph can all be remixes. The only characteristic of a remix is that it appropriates and changes other materials to create something new.

Copyright implications
Because remixes may borrow heavily from an existing piece of music (possibly more than one), the issue of intellectual property becomes a concern. The most important question is whether a remixer is free to redistribute his or her work, or whether the remix falls under the category of a derivative work according to, for example, United States copyright law. Of note are open questions concerning the legality of visual works, like the art form of collage, which can be plagued with licensing issues.


2016-09-22

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Thursday 20 October 2016

Politics Girl: My Take: This Election

Keep in mind the date of this video: October 10. The second debate was held on Sunday, October 9, 2016. The 2005 Access Hollywood video of Billy Bush and Donald Trump was released on Friday, October 7. (BuzZ News - Oct 7/2016: Donald utters that infamous line: "Grab them by the p***y.")

Published on Oct 10, 2016 by Politics Girl
YouTube: My Take : This Election
The point of this channel was to give unbiased commentary to help us understand both sides of an issue and I've been silent till now because every time I wrote something, some bizarre turn of events would make my piece irrelevant. So, now I'm giving you my opinion. My take on the election and where we are. It is not unbiased but it is based 100% in fact. I'm done with this garbage.



YouTube channel: Politics Girl
Simple, digestible explanations of all things American Politics because it's easier to reengage when you know what's going on.

We'll talk Democrats, Republicans, Independents. I'll explain Caucuses, Primaries, Endorsements, and any key political topic to the 2016 Presidential Election and beyond. Who are the world leaders you should know? Who's the Speaker of the House, the Vice President, Minority Leader? What issues should you be keeping an eye on? Are you conservative or liberal? Do you favor one candidate or another? And why? I won't tell you what to do. I'm not bipartisan but, I'm also not here to sell you on my point of view either. We need facts not spin and I believe the more you know the more engaged you'll be and, the more engaged you are, the more you'll want to vote from that place of knowledge. Our country can do so much better. We deserve more than the infighting and backbiting and congested congress we have now. We need a government that listens to us.



Published on Feb 1, 2016 by Politics Girl
YouTube: Politics Girl Channel Trailer
Welcome to the home of Politics Girl where we unpack everything American politics in an easy to understand, digestible way!
Not Left. Not Right. Just facts. Because I think the more we understand the better prepared we are to change what's seemingly broken.




web site: Politics Girl
Leigh McGowan is Politics Girl:
Politics Girl is an easy to understand, unbiased, weekly YouTube vlog working in conjunction with multiple ongoing social media platforms aimed at educating and inspiring voters to reengage with the political process. From understanding the issues, the candidates, and the workings of government to the rebuilding and restructuring of our system so we can have a stronger, more representational, enlightened electorate.

I believe modern voters are too polarized and not well enough informed. We make decisions based on bias and prejudice if we make decisions at all. I believe we can do far better and that change will start with passion and understanding. We need facts not spin and it must come to us in easy to digest, manageable chunks from someone not bought and paid for by one side or the other.

Change is possible. You just have to know you want it.



Twitter: @IAmPoliticsGirl

web site: In Case I'm Gone
I’m Leigh. I’m a Canadian living in LA by way of NYC. I was an actress. I succeeded and then I didn’t. I’m a photographer. I do kids and families and pregos and peeps but I’m flimsy at self promotion so it’s more of a hobby than a living. I’m a writer. Lots of stuff on the shelf but still waiting for something tangible to show for that graduate degree. I’m also a mom to a little named Loch and the wife to a (mostly) working actor named Sean. They both rule. I’m your basic A-type overachiever slash artist slash stay at home mom.

I also have a very rare lung/heart disease called Pulmonary Hypertension. I was diagnosed when my son was 6 months old and told I had 2-3 years to live. That was 6 years ago and I’m still here. Thanks to modern medicine and one very special doctor, most days you wouldn’t even know I’m sick. I spend my days navigating the hijinks of parenthood, spazzing about money and watching too much Netflix on my iPad. I have a perspective on life that I hope others never have, but it has not made me zen. I am still a person who yells at her appliances.

2016-10-20

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Saturday 15 October 2016

John Green: Understanding Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's Tax Plans

Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton: it all comes down to a campaign slogan or an Internet meme. But do any of us truly understand what each candidate is proposing? This election isn't about the issues; it's about character assassination and muckraking. Unfortunately, it's the issues which will haunt us long after the lights are turned out and the confetti is swept up. Rah, rah, sis boom bah. As each of us wildly chant going into the polling booth, I would contend that none of us has a firm grasp of what tomorrow will bring. Good luck. We'll need it.



Published on Oct 11, 2016 by vlogbrothers
YouTube: Understanding Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's Tax Plans
In which John Green compares the tax proposals of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and looks at what the tax system and budget would look like for different families. There's also a brief introduction to federal income tax here in the United States, and some discussion of the candidates' budget proposals.

Campaign slogans? Internet memes? Just one man's opinion explaining his partisanship? John Greene provides his sources. He's stating an opinion, but an opinion based on facts. This is what we need: a discussion about the issue, not about the candidate themselves.

The Tax Policy Center's excellent and detailed analysis of Democrat Hillary Clinton's tax plan:
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/updated-analysis-hillary-clintons-tax-proposals

The Tax Policy Center's analysis of Republican Donald Trump's tax plan:
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/analysis-donald-trumps-revised-tax-plan

Much of the information in this video came from the Tax Foundation's analysis of Clinton's tax proposals:
http://taxfoundation.org/sites/default/files/docs/TaxFoundation-FF496.pdf

And of Trump's:
http://taxfoundation.org/article/details-and-analysis-donald-trump-tax-reform-plan-september-2016

Lily Batchelder's paper explaining why Trump's tax plan would result in tax increases for 7.8 million households:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2842802

and a politifact story on the same topic:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/sep/27/hillary-clinton/hillary-clinton-correctly-cites-outside-analyses-t/

Donald Trump's tax plan would boost the debt much more than Clinton's, and would put U.S. debt held by the public over 100% of GDP in the next decade according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget:
http://crfb.org/papers/promises-and-price-tags-preliminary-update

The CRFB explains Trump's budget cut proposals here:
http://crfb.org/blogs/explaining-donald-trumps-penny-plan-non-defense-spending

And his plan for increased defense spending here:
http://crfb.org/blogs/how-much-would-trumps-new-defense-plan-cost

Chart of our publicly held debt to GDP ratio came from here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States

The Tax Policy Center has an excellent chart explaining effective tax rates by income size that you'll enjoy if you're into this kind of stuff:
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/statistics/effective-tax-rate-size-income


Final Word
Skip the character assassinations. Skip the sexual history. Everybody gets a pass; everybody gets a clean slate.

Let's talk about the issues, specifically let's talk about taxes: Clinton's plan vs Trump's plan. Over the next 10 years:

Clinton = add two hundred billion to the national debt

Trump = add two to seven trillion dollars to the national debt

Note: billion vs trillion

Note: Trump's plan favors the wealthy.

Skip the candidates and talk about the issues. November 8: your future is at stake.


References

Wikipedia: John Green (author)
John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American writer of young adult fiction and a YouTube vlogger and educator. He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking for Alaska, and reached number one on a New York Times Best Seller list with The Fault in Our Stars in January 2012.

Wikipedia: VlogBrothers
VlogBrothers is a video blog style channel on YouTube. The Internet-based show is created and hosted by brothers, John Green and Hank Green. The first incarnation of the brothers' online broadcasting was the "Brotherhood 2.0" project, preceding the establishment of the pair's regular vlogging activity through the VlogBrothers channel.

Wikipedia: Hank Green
William Henry "Hank" Green ll (born 5 May 1980) is an American entrepreneur, musician, and vlogger. He is best known for his YouTube channel Vlogbrothers where he regularly uploads videos along with his brother, John Green. He is also the creator of the online environmental technology blog EcoGeek, and the developer of Subbable. He is involved with several other channels on YouTube, including Crash Course, SciShow, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,The Brain Scoop, and Sexplanations.

YouTube channel: vlogbrothers

Twitter: John Green @johngreen
I write books, including Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars. (Books are like tweets, except longer.) I also make videos with my brother.

web site: John Green Books

web site: Hank Green Internet Guy


2016-10-15

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Wednesday 12 October 2016

Confessions of a Republican


Published on Mar 9, 2016 by annabarbara310's channel
YouTube: "Confessions of a Republican" ad from the 1964 presidential election




Wikipedia: Confessions of a Republican
"Confessions of a Republican" was a political advertisement aired on television during the 1964 United States presidential election by incumbent president Lyndon B. Johnson's campaign.

In the advertisement, a jittery man in his late twenties speaks to the camera about his pride in the Republican Party's past, before admitting that he is frightened by Republican nominee Barry Goldwater. He expresses alarm at Goldwater's contradictory, confrontational political views and support from the Ku Klux Klan (the result of his opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964) and says that he is afraid of Goldwater's instability and aggressive approach, and fears that it might lead to a nuclear war with the U.S.S.R.. He explains that he believes that the party is making a great mistake, and that he will be voting for Johnson in the election.
Revisiting the ad
Bogert was interviewed about the ad in 2014, saying that he believed that Tea Party activists had many undesirable attributes in common with Goldwater, and that he had not voted Republican for a long time. The advertisement was the subject of renewed attention in March 2016 because of Donald Trump's success in Republican primaries. Bogert, now 80 years of age, was interviewed again on The Rachel Maddow Show on May 2, 2016 and asked to draw comparisons between Goldwater's 1964 policy stances and Donald Trump's 2016 politics. He appeared in a remake of the advertisement produced by the Hillary Clinton campaign in July 2016 with alterations based on Trump's public statements on nuclear warfare.

Published on Jul 18, 2016 by
YouTube: Confessions of a Republican | Hillary Clinton



References

Published on Jul 9, 2014 by TheLBJLibrary
YouTube: Confessions of a Republican (4:20 - full video of 1964 ad)


2016-10-12

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Sunday 9 October 2016

Malefique: Don't Go




Soundcloud: Don't Go! by Malefique
Don't Go! by MLFQUE is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.

SoundCloud: Malefique

I occasionally watch the YouTube videos of Casey Neistat (b 1981), a New York film producer and videographer. His vlogs are well done and interesting personal takes on his life.

He ofttimes includes background music from an online service called Soundcloud. I discovered a number of original content creators offering their music for free or for a minimal fee. As an addition to a YouTube video, a vlog, it does add to the professionalism of the film.



References

Wikipedia: Soundcloud
SoundCloud is a global online audio distribution platform based in Berlin, Germany, that enables its users to upload, record, promote, and share their originally-created sounds. According to the company’s data, in December 2014, the service attracts more than 175 million unique monthly listeners, while content creators upload about 12 hours worth of audio every minute

Casey Neistat: Magic Carpet Prank

Casey Neistat: Snowboarding in New York

Roachblunt by Malefiqe



2016-10-09

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